Ava's POV
We rush toward the entrance, footsteps echoing through the hallway.
My heart pounds so hard I'm sure she'll hear it the moment we appear, but we need to intercept her before she starts exploring the house and finds evidence of what we've been doing.
"Just act natural," Tobias whispers, but his voice is rough, strained.
I catch our reflection in the hallway mirror as we approach the foyer, and my blood turns to ice. My lipstick is smeared across Tobias's mouth like a scarlet confession, the evidence of our desperate kisses painted across his lips for anyone to see.
"Tobias, stop!" I grab his arm, pulling him to a halt just feet from the front door.
"What—"
"Your mouth." I rise on my toes frantically, using my thumb to wipe away the damning evidence. "My lipstick is all over you."
His eyes burn into mine as I work, both of us breathing hard, my hand trembling against his jaw.
The intimacy of the moment, cleaning my marks from his skin while his ex-wife stands just beyond the door, makes my chest ache with how wrong and right this feels simultaneously.
The front door handle turns just as I step back, both of us forcing casual expressions as Veronica sweeps in like she owns the place.
She looks stunning, as always. Black wool coat over a designer dress, her hair perfectly styled despite the evening hour, every detail calculated for maximum impact.
But it's her eyes that terrify me—sharp and assessing as they catalog every detail of our appearance.
"I'm so sorry for interrupting," she says smoothly, though her smile doesn't reach those calculating eyes. "I saw the lights on and took a chance you'd be home. I hope I'm not intruding on anything... important."
"Veronica." Tobias's voice is carefully controlled. "What are you doing here?"
"Family dinner, how lovely."
Her gaze shifts between us, lingering on my slightly swollen lips, the way Tobias's shirt is untucked on one side, the electric tension crackling between us.
"I left some important campaign documents in your study during my last visit. Donor contact lists we'll need for the final fundraising push."
"You should have called." Tobias starts, but she's already moving closer to him.
"Oh, you know me. I never could wait when something was important." She places a manicured hand on his chest, rising on her toes to press a kiss to his lips—quick but possessive, marking territory exactly where my mouth had been moments before.
My stomach clenches watching another woman's lips touch what I consider mine. The casual way she claims him, the practiced ease of the gesture, the subtle message that she can touch him whenever she wants while I have to hide in shadows.
"Thank you for being so accommodating, darling," she purrs against his mouth before stepping back.
"The files are in the upstairs safe," Tobias says stiffly, clearly rattled. "The donor contact information is confidential."
"Of course it is. That's why I need you to retrieve it personally." Her smile is razor-sharp. "Security protocols and all that. I'll just wait here with Ava while you grab everything I need."
I watch conflict war across his features. He doesn't want to leave me alone with her, but refusing would only raise more suspicions.
"I'll be right back," he says finally, shooting me a look that's part apology, part warning.
The moment his footsteps fade upstairs, Veronica's mask drops completely.
"Such a beautiful evening," she observes, moving to examine the family photographs lining the hallway. "Though I have to say, you look a bit flushed, dear. Are you feeling well?"
"I'm fine." My voice sounds steadier than I feel.
"I'm sure you are. Though stress can be so dangerous at your age. So much pressure, so many important decisions to make."
She pauses in front of a photo of Tobias with Chloe and Tyler from last Christmas, all of them smiling. "Young women often don't realize how fragile certain... conditions can be."
The word 'conditions' lands like a sledgehammer. She knows. Somehow, she knows about the pregnancy.
"I heard about your accident yesterday," she continues conversationally. "That ladder incident at the office. How terrifying that must have been, falling eight feet onto concrete. Could have been truly tragic if you'd been carrying something precious."
"I don't know what you're implying…"
"Oh, I'm not implying anything." She turns from the photographs to study me with those predatory eyes. "Simply observing that workplace accidents can have such devastating consequences. Especially for young women with so much to lose."
My hands tremble as her meaning becomes clear. The tampered ladder. The loosened bolts. This woman orchestrated my fall, tried to make me miscarry.
"Tyler's been struggling since your breakup," she continues, as if we're discussing the weather. "Rejection can make young men so volatile. Desperate to reclaim what they believe belongs to them. And when they discover betrayal..."
She examines her perfectly manicured nails. "Well, scorned lovers can be unpredictable."
"Tyler doesn't know anything," I say quickly, too quickly.
"Doesn't he? Are you certain about that?"
Her smile is cold, calculating.
"Political careers are such fragile things, Ava. Decades of work can disappear overnight. One scandal, one inappropriate entanglement, and everything Tobias has built crumbles to dust."
"He hasn't done anything wrong."
"Oh, darling. We both know that's not true."
She steps closer, her expensive perfume overwhelming.
"But the beautiful thing about public perception is that truth rarely matters. It's all about appearances, timing, strategic deployment of... information."
Footsteps on the stairs signal Tobias's return. Veronica's mask slides back into place instantly, the predatory woman replaced by the poised political consultant.
"Thank you so much, darling," she says as he appears with a manila folder. "These donor lists will be invaluable for the final push."
"Veronica…" Tobias starts, but she's already moving toward the door.
"I should let you get back to your family dinner. Give my love to Chloe." She pauses at the threshold, looking back at me with those calculating eyes. "And Ava, do take care of yourself. Stress can be so dangerous sometimes."
The door closes behind her with a soft click, leaving us standing in the sudden silence.
"What did she say to you?" Tobias demands immediately.
But I can't speak. Can't breathe. The full weight of what just happened crashes over me like a tsunami.
"I have to go," I manage, grabbing my purse from the hall table.
"Ava, wait!"
But I'm already running, fleeing toward my car as Chloe's voice calls from the kitchen, asking if everything's okay.
I drive three blocks before pulling over, my whole body shaking as I call my mother through sobs.
"Baby? What's wrong?"
Everything pours out—Tobias, the pregnancy, the affair, Veronica's threats. The words tumble over each other in a desperate rush, months of secrets finally spilling into the open.
Mom listens without judgment, letting me cry until I'm empty. Then she shares something I've never heard before.
"Your father's family tried to break us apart with similar threats," she says fiercely. "His parents, his colleagues, everyone who thought they knew what was best for him. Every weapon they could find to convince him I was destroying his future."
"What did you do?"
"I gave him a choice. Love or fear. Us or them." Her voice softens. "And for six beautiful months, he chose love every single day."
"But what if Tobias won't choose me? What if Veronica's right and he picks his career when it matters?"
"Then you'll know where you stand. Love that follows rules isn't love, baby—it's just an arrangement. Your father and I had months of dangerous, impossible love, and I got you from it. That was worth everything."
She pauses, letting her words sink in.
"But if you're alone in this, if he won't stand with you when it gets hard, you need to know that too."